These breakfast cookies are for all the times you wish you could eat cookies for breakfast and not feel bad about it (which, for me, is most of the time).
These cookies are made with wholesome ingredients like oats, almond butter, and seeds, and they’re not only vegan but also free of, gluten, soy, added oil, and refined sugars! Each cookie packs 5 grams of protein and 3g of fiber, so they also keep you full and energized.
Even better, they’re infinitely customizable so you can modify them to your heart’s content!
Watch: How to make amazing breakfast cookies
And for more delightful vegan breakfast ideas, check out my vegan breakfast recipe round-up! It’s chock-full of fun plant-based breakfast recipes from me and other vegan recipe developers.
Why you’ll love these breakfast cookies
Wholesome. These are cookies you can feel good about! They’re made with ingredients that are perfectly acceptable for breakfast, which means you can happily eat cookies for breakfast.
Deceptively delicious. Wholesome breakfast cookies might sound like they taste meh, but these are cookies you’ll actually want to eat.
Delightfully chewy. If you’re like most people, you like chewy cookies. These cookies are incredibly chewy with crunchy bites of seeds and even more chewy bites from the dried fruit.
Pantry-friendly and easy to customize. You likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry. You can also get creative and mix and match your favorite ingredients. Read more in the “how to customize” section!
For a sweet snack that’s a bit more indulgent, try these seriously good Vegan Banana Muffins!
Versatile. Not only can you eat them for breakfast, but they’re also a great post- or pre-workout snack. My athletic friend Joanne of The Korean Vegan (she runs marathons) said these cookies fueled her for a long run around Central Park. Oh, and of course, you can also eat them for dessert.
How to make vegan breakfast cookies
Gather your ingredients!
Prepare your flax egg. Whisk together the ground flaxseed meal and water and set aside for 15 minutes to gel up.
In a large bowl, together the dry ingredients: oats, coconut, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients until smooth and thick: almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and prepared flax eggs.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry.
Use a silicone spatula to combine the ingredients until it resembles cookie dough.
Add desired mix-ins (chopped nuts or seeds and dried fruit or chocolate chips).
Add hemp seeds.
Stir to evenly incorporate the mix-ins.
Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets and lightly flatten. Bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden on the bottom. Cool the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack.
How to customize these cookies
Not a fan of coconut or allergic? Omit the shredded coconut and just add more oats. Personally, I think the coconut adds a lovely texture.
Likewise, if you don’t have hemp seeds, you can omit or add more shredded coconut. But you should really get some hemp seeds!
Allergic to almonds or don’t have almond butter? Use any nut butter you like, such as cashew butter or peanut butter (they will taste like peanut butter cookies). Just be sure to use a smooth, not crunchy, variety, as the nut butter is the replacement for oil in this recipe.
For the dried fruit mix-in, you could really use any variety you like. I have used raisins, currants, finely chopped apricots, finely chopped dates, and dried cranberries (use juice-sweetened cranberries to avoid refined sugar).
And if you’re not a fan of dried fruit at all, feel free to substitute with dairy-free chocolate chips. I love the chewiness that dried fruit brings, but the chocolate chip version makes these taste more like a classic cookie (SO good). The chocolate chip version is a favorite in our house.
For the seed and nut mix-in, pepitas, sunflower seeds, or any kind of nut works well. Just chop them up pretty good so you don’t get large pieces.
Some flavor variations that we tried are below. My favorites are anything that contains chocolate chips (no surprise!), dried blueberries, and dried cranberries.
- Mango Cashew: finely chop dried mango + raw unsalted cashews, chopped
- Chocolate Chip Almond: mini vegan chocolate chips + roasted almonds, chopped
- Cranberry Pecan: dried cranberries + pecans, chopped
- Blueberry Walnut: dried blueberries + walnuts, chopped
- Golden Macadamia: dried golden berries + macadamia nuts, chopped
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, use seeds instead of nuts for your mix-ins and sub the almond butter with tahini.
You’ll need to use a smooth, non-bitter variety and stir well. I love Seed + Mill and Soom Tahini (affiliate link) and the Whole Foods 365 brand is pretty decent.
Or you could try Sunbutter sunflower seed butter. It will likely tinge your cookies green (that’s what happens when you bake with sunflower seeds) but the taste will be great.
Yes, they freeze perfectly! And they take just 15ish minutes to defrost, so you can enjoy them really any time. After baking, allow the cookies to cool completely. Store them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and label with the name and date. They should be good for about 3 months.
That’s fine! If salted, you can use a scant 1/2 teaspoon salt in the recipe.
If you love these breakfast cookies, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please rate and review with your feedback below!
Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 2 cups (190g) rolled oats (certified gluten-free, as needed)
- Heaping 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (190g) smooth, creamy variety of almond butter (can sub cashew butter) (see Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (160g) pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Mix-Ins
- 1/2 cup (~75g) dried fruit (or mini vegan chocolate chips) such as cranberries, currants, blueberries (see Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (70g) pepitas, sunflower seeds, or nuts of choice chopped (see Note 3)
- 1/3 cup (48g) hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts)
Instructions
- Prepare the flax eggs. Combine the ground flaxseed meal with 5 tablespoons water. Stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes to gel together.
- Arrange two racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oats, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and prepared flax eggs. Whisk until smooth and thick.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, using a silicone spatula to mix everything until the mixture resembles a cookie dough. Fold in your desired mix-ins (dried fruit, chopped nuts/seeds, and hemp seeds) using the spatula.If the dough is too sticky to handle, refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop a heaping 2 tablespoons or scant 3 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart, 12 cookies per sheet pan (they don't really spread).I have a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop and do a big heaping scoop of that. It's 35g to 40g of dough per cookie. Alternatively, measure the dough out with a spoon and shape into a round using your hands. Lightly flatten the top of each cookie with your hands.
- Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes. After 5 minutes, use a spatula to carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 5 to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
These cauliflower steaks were delicous!!! I loved the chickpeas roasted in the oven too(: I subbed a regular medium 1 1/2 onions for the shallots, sprinkled the cauliflower & chickpeas w/ 1tsp garlic powder, 1tsp onion powder, and 1tsp of paprika, added some panko breadcrumbs, and added some chipotle mayo on top before eating (I didn’t have ingredients for that amazing sauce but fully intend to incorporate it in the future w/pistachios). I had to improvise but I’m still super happy with how everything came out, though I look forward to making the sauce next time. Thank you Nisha, for inspiring me to cook more often and experiment in the kitchen!!! I love your recipes and I appreciate you for all you do(:
Hi Maria, thank you for the kind words! I think you may have commented this on the wrong blog post, but we are so appreciative of your support and are very happy to hear you’re loving the recipes!
I have been looking for a recipe like this for ages! Thank you, it is wonderful! I did add a little oat milk to the batter as mine seemed a bit dry, and they came out perfect! Crunchy yet still a little soft on the inside.
We’re so happy that the breakfast cookies turned out well for you, Molly. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Excellent ! Very versatile .
Hi Debbie, thank you so much for your kind review!
I love, love, love your recipes! You have inspired me to do better and taken my cooking to a whole new level. You are an absolute gem. 🤗
Your review made our day, Gaye! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying the recipes.
These were delicious!!! I used chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raw mixed nuts . Instead of maple syrup, I used a monk fruit maple syrup.
I used my cookie scooper – 2 scoops of the dough and only came up with 13 cookies. I will make these often!
Thanks for sharing, Tam! So happy you loved the cookies :)
These are DELICIOUS. Make them now.
Thanks for the awesome review, Jp!
These cookies are absolutely delicious, I’ve now made them several times using different additions, I’m going to make a batch today and am thinking about making them in a tray and cutting into squares. I’ve shared the recipe and had very positive feedback.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Cathy, Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re so happy to hear that you love the breakfast cookies.
I make these cookies almost every week and friends always ask for the recipe! I do different mix ins each time and they are always fabulous. The only mix in I did not love was Chia seeds because of the texture. The key is to put them in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before you scoop them out.
Thanks for sharing, Lauren! It makes us happy to know these cookies are a go-to for you.
I’m a BIG cookies for breakfast proponent and these are soooooooo good. I’ve been making them for years :) I love splitting the nut butter base between almond butter, tahini, and melted coconut oil. Not vegan so I just add a whisked egg! <3
It’s so great to hear you love them, Kara! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I used chocolate chips & raisins with a half walnut on top. Very tasty & I think probably even better with cranberries or any other dried fruit like blueberries or apricots. I ran out of coconut & still quite yummy. Will definitely make again
We appreciate your feedback and support, Karen. Thank you for leaving a review!
I’ve made these twice now. Both times I used cashew butter. They are so delicious and they freeze well for little treats for weeks!
We’re delighted to hear it, Stacy! Thanks for sharing!
These are absolutely delicious! I made them with the intention of meal prepping but then they ended up being lunch today because I could not resist. I love how they’re not too complicated and they have protein and healthy fats. Maybe this is how my boyfriend can finally enjoy oats!
We appreciate your feedback and support, Novy. Thank you for leaving a review!
These cookies did not want to stick together when trying to put them into cookie shapes on the baking sheet.
Hi Bethany, did you make sure to mix the flax egg thoroughly and wait until it became gelatinous to mix it into the rest of the dough? Sorry to hear the experience didn’t go as well as you’d expected!
I wanted to update this comment. I did the cookies in two batches. The second time I went to put the dough into cookie form they were much more cohesive. So I guess if they aren’t sticking well just give them like 10-15 minutes to be more sticky.
That’s good to know! Thanks for the update!
These have become something that I insist is in the freezer at all times. I have issues with low blood sugar, especially at work. It is so easy to put these in my lunch kit and have one as a snack to keep my blood sugar stable. I work in healthcare, pretty much always a busy job, so this is perfect. Thank you for helping me stay full at work. The other thing is that they are so easy to make. I’m a busy mom with working part-time and homeschooling my kids; anything to cut corners is a huge blessing.
It makes us so happy to hear this recipe has been a lifesaver for you, Treena! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
I used sugar free maple syrup
These look delicious and I’m sure the maple will taste amazing – I plan on trying. However, “refined sugar-free” is misleading given that maple syrup is a refined sugar. That could be troublesome for an individual looking to reduce their sugar intake for medical reasons. Having sugar in a baked recipe like this is necessary, so not knocking that at all. Please watch the wording.
Maple syrup is an ingredient used on all of the whole foods plant based pages I’ve to seen. It’s not considered a refined sugar since it’s minimally processed. It also is compromised mainly of sucrose rather than glucose so its glycemic index is lower than refined sugar. It’s also full of nutrients. Of course, it’s still high in sugar, albeit naturally occuring, so since I am watching my sugar intake I will need to consume in moderation.
Could not get the dough to stick together at all despite following the recipe quite faithfully. Fortunately I’m plant based rather than vegan , so I gave in and added an egg. I’m a bit upset though as I’d bought a bag of flaxseed just for this. Maybe next time I need to leave the flax egg to develop for longer than 15 minutes?
Hi Al, what was the texture of the flax egg after 15 minutes? It helps to whisk the flax egg vigorously when you first combine, and then a couple more times as it rests. This helps it gel together better. The end result should be fairly gelatinous, not watery.
And flaxseed meal is a wonderful source of omega-3s and fiber, so here are some ideas to use it more in your daily life.
Another absolute winner! Frankly, it was hard to not just grab a spoon and eat all of the batter. But I did decide to bake them in the end. Mix-in’s were chocolate chips and roasted macadamia nuts. I’ll be returning to this recipe often. Perfection.
We’re so happy that the breakfast cookies turned out well for you, Matt. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Made these for lunchboxes this morning and used sunflower butter instead of almond. Delicious!
Made this morning – delicious!
That makes us incredibly happy to hear, Michele!